Cleveland, an ‘unknown gem,’ gets first 2016 Republican National Convention site visit

The 2012 Republican National Convention, in Tampa. Denver is among four cities vying to host the 2016 RNC. (Helen H. Richardson, Denver Post file)

The hyper-competitive contest to win hosting rights for the 2016 Republican National Convention has kicked into high gear. On Tuesday, an RNC delegation of site selection committee members and party officials spent the main day of their site visit to Cleveland, the first of four cities they’ll hit in two weeks, touring potential venues and getting a feel for the Rust Belt icon.

On Wednesday, the delegation heads to Kansas City, Mo., before a weekend break. The Republicans will visit Denver next Monday evening through Wednesday morning, before heading to Dallas for the second half of the week.

In Cleveland Tuesday, they visited the downtown arena and the Indians’ baseball stadium, as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, according to local news reports. That’s after police officers on motorcycles escorted the Republicans in limos from the airport to their hotels Monday afternoon.

Each city should expect a little flattery. After all, local officials are rolling out the red carpet in a big way. Denver’s bid committee is keeping its plans under wraps so far, aiming to maintain any competitive advantage they can get. By some accounts, Denver and Dallas are the front-runners — but not everyone agrees on that.

Cleveland’s convention boosters, led by former Plain Dealer publisher Terry Egger, Mayor Frank Jackson and other civic leaders, say the city needs to come up with between $55 million and $60 million — much of it through private donations — to pay for the four-day event. Commitments already are trickling in; two weeks ago officials said Cleveland’s bid had $25 million in commitments.

The city also boasts more hotel rooms than it had eight years ago, when Cleveland was among the contenders to host the Republicans’ 2008 convention. And the county has produced a new convention center, which will be anchored by a new hotel.

Enid Mickelsen, a former congresswoman from Utah who chairs the RNC’s site-selection committee, said Cleveland has another plus. She spoke of a stranger who stopped her on the street Tuesday day morning to welcome her to the city.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.